Shanghai | 7 Wine Pairings with Food You Actually Want to Eat

When we talk about wine pairing, we often talk about the sorts of dishes that we only eat on special occasions. But what about pairing wine with the kinds of food that we (sometimes guiltily) eat every day? Check out some of suggestions below.

Pizza

Pair it with: Chianti

A no-brainer. What might be Italy’s most glorious contribution to the world’s cuisine should be matched with a red wine from that very same lovely country.

Where to get it in Shanghai:Topolino (27 Yongkang Lu, Xuhui)

Throw a coin in the air in Shanghai and chances are it will land on a pizza. But even with so much competition around, the cheesy, decadentpies at Topolino stand out. It’s all in those toppings.

Grilled Cheese

Pair with: Kies

Ironic that such a nostalgic childhood treat can pair so well with booze. This melty combination of bread, butter, cheese and whateverelse you feel like is ideally matched by a white wine with some body.

Where to get it in Shanghai:Co. Cheese (32 Yuyuan Dong Lu, Jing’an)

This one’s obvious; no one in Shanghai is making grilled cheeses like Co. Cheese (or making so many different kinds). There’s a reason that after more than a year this cozy, cheesy spot is still always busy.

Burgers

Pair with: Rioja

A really good burger goes heavy on the meat but is also big, rich and decadent all round too. That means a red that has some punch, but that isn’t going to leave you comatose.

Where to get it in Shanghai:BYFO Burgers @ That One Place (No. 10, 273 Jiaozhou Lu, Jing’an)
There are almost as many burger joints in Shanghai as there are pizza spots, so we’re going to go for a personal favorite. BYFO make some killer, reasonably priced burgers (to go with their signature hot sauce) at their regular pop-up at That One Place, which happens to be one of our favorite bars too. They do meat other than beef as well; always a bonus.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pair with: Cabernet Sauvignon

A smooth red wine and chocolate; there isn’t much more to say. Cabernet Sauvignon will go with them almost as well as milk.

The cakes, cookies and everything else that the lovely people at The British Kitchen crank out drive us wild, especially their incredible chunky caramel brownies.

Spring Rolls

Pair with: Riesling

Everyone’s favorite appetizer is, as often is the case with East Asian favorites, a good friend of Riesling.

Where to get it:Cyclo (678 Shanxi Bei Lu, Jing’an)

Vietnamese food in Shanghai has gained a reputation as not being good enough, at least until recently. But this French-Vietnamese run restaurant in Jing’an does a very, very good job of proving naysayers wrong.

Surprise, surprise: each of these wines is available from the BottlesXO app fordelivery in less than 60 minutes wherever you are in Shanghai, with no minimum order or delivery fee. Download the app by clicking on “Read more” at the bottom of this post.